THirty years war fucking hell

Overview of the Thirty Years' War

It was the last and most destructive of the wars of religion, fought in the Holy Roman Empire (1618-1648), involving Catholics, Protestants, Calvinists, and Lutherans.

Fragmented Germany

Germany consisted of about 360 autonomous political entities, each with independence in political ideology granted by the Peace of Augsburg.

Religious Division (1/2)

The Holy Roman Empire was equally divided between Protestants and Catholics, with feuds over political and religious control in various regions.

Religious Division (2/2)

Catholic rulers demanded the return of church lands seized by Protestants, and Calvinists and Lutherans ignored these stipulations, leading to internal feuding.

Calvinism and the Palatinate

Calvinism, unrecognized by the Peace of Augsburg, gained influence in the Palatinate under Frederick III, leading to alliances with anti-Spanish nations and further religious division.

Maximilian of Bavaria and the Catholic League

He led the Counter-Reformation in Bavaria and formed the Catholic League, which fielded an army under Count Johann von Tilly.

Bohemian Period (1/2)

The Habsburg Ferdinand of Styria, determined to re-Catholicize Bohemia, revoked Protestant freedoms, leading to the "defenestration of Prague."

Bohemian Period (2/2)

Ferdinand II's army defeated the Bohemians at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, re-Catholicizing Bohemia and the Palatinate.

Danish Period (1/2)

King Christian IV of Denmark, with support from England and France, was humiliated by Maximilian and forced to retreat from Germany.

Danish Period (2/2)

The Edict of Restitution (1629) reaffirmed the illegality of Calvinism and ordered the return of church lands that Lutherans had acquired since 1552.

Swedish Period (1/3)

Gustavus Adolphus II of Sweden, a devout Lutheran king, became the leader of the Protestant forces.

Swedish Period (2/3)

He revolutionized warfare with fire-and-charge tactics, leading his forces to a decisive victory at Breitenfeld in 1630.

Swedish Period (3/3)

Gustavus Adolphus was killed by Wallenstein's forces at the Battle of Lutzen, and Wallenstein himself was assassinated by order of Emperor Ferdinand II.

Treaty of Westphalia

It nullified the Edict of Restitution, recognized the independence of the Swiss Confederacy and the Netherlands, and left Germany politically fragmented.